humpback salmon

noun

1. a pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, inhabiting North Pacific waters: so-called because of the hump that appears behind the head of the male when it is ready for spawning.

Word History and Origins

Origin of humpback salmon¹

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10

Example Sentences

Also known as humpies or humpback salmon, these fish only return from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in odd-numbered years.

From Seattle Times

Other studies have found freshwater acidification harms development and growth of young pink salmon, also known as humpback salmon, an important commercial and sport fishing species in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

From Seattle Times

Salmon they smoked in numbers, for now the run of the humpback salmon was on, replacing the earlier one of the smaller red salmon.

From Project Gutenberg

He thought the run of the humpback salmon might have begun since we left, and if this was so, we were likely to find some large bears near the streams we had watched the week before.

From Project Gutenberg